now, this is interesting, pf. specifically, what was it about a floor of alzheimer's patients that was attractive to you? i don't think this is obviously apparent to many folks, especially if a family member is going through the ravages of this disease....

No idea, but I enjoy interacting with them, I enjoy making their lives as full of good experiences as possible. I have expanded my horizons when I decided to work End-of-Life and Rehab. The Rehab part, it's fun to get folks back on their feet and send them home. End-of-Life is...fulfilling, I feel privileged to be allowed to take care of folks at this point in their lives. Now I am onto a more administrative role, making sure they get the benefits they are due from their insurance and Medicare. I have, on average, 50 patients a day, only 8 of them I need to see each day. Basically, I am a care manager for my folks. Love it.

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__________________“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” - Albert Einstein

...End-of-Life is...fulfilling, I feel privileged to be allowed to take care of folks at this point in their lives.... Basically, I am a care manager for my folks. Love it.

No, you are an Angel! Had it not been for the hospice nurse that lovingly took care of my Mom AND me in Mom's last days with us I would have been a bigger basket case than I normally am. You deserve a huge

Hospital is my middle name. I think I have some stock in them. But in all the times I have spent there, I have only seen one nurse that was in the wrong profession. I have never heard a nurse say that the hours are too long. They work a 12 hour day in Boston. I have never had a nurse that took her sweet time answering the call button. Even if I just water my water pitcher filled, they did it gladly. They never passed the request off to the Aide that was supposed to do it. Often my nurse will just come in and ask me if there is anything I need or want.

Sorry doctors. I would rather have a nurse looking after me than you. They probably know more than you do. They certainly show more care for the patient than most doctors. It is not just clinical mumbo jumbo for them. The patient who has congestive heart failure has a name. And the nurse can tell them that without looking at the chart. The nurse knows that lying on a sheet that is wrinkled is very painful for the elderly. The nurse is aware if the patient is eating or not. Does the doctor really read the chart? I doubt it. They come into the room during rounds and ask the patient what the problem is.

In defense of the doctors, I realize that they too have long hours. But the days of 36 hour shifts have been long gone. They do have a lounge or a sleep room where they can go to catch some winks when it is quiet. Thye nurses don't. Most of the doctors are still in their learning stage. The ones with the short white coats are in their first year. Once they get their long lab coats their hours increase along with more responsibility. I have found that most doctors need to develop more compassion for their patients.

Go Nurses!

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Illegitimi non carborundum!
I don't want my last words to be, "I wish I had spent more time doing housework"

I worked at a medical school for 14 years and have had more than my share of surgeries, hospitalizations and emergency room visits. It's not the doctor's job to take care of patients - it's the nurses' job. The doctor's job is to diagnose and develop a treatment plan, then monitor how it's working. And they do read the charts. Everyone who comes in asks the same questions because sometimes patients forget to say something or will tell a nurse something but not a doctor. The goal is to get as much information as possible in order to do the best job possible. Everyone should add every bit of info to the chart.

Also, the short coats are for medical students. Once they graduate and become residents, they start wearing the long coats. The school where I worked started a white-coat-burning ceremony a few years ago to honor their time as students. It takes place the week before graduation.

If your doctors don't know your name, I'd get new doctors.

__________________The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you're hungry again. ~ George Miller

I know what the short coats are for. I attended my son's ceremony when he got his at Yale. I left rehab just to attend it. I also had the priveledge of putting his long lab coat on him when he took his oath. I did it with some difficulty. He stands six feet, I stand at four feet eight inches.

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Illegitimi non carborundum!
I don't want my last words to be, "I wish I had spent more time doing housework"

i always found myself rushing home at the end of the day to pee. i never had time from early morning through late afternoon of a busy workday to fit in a bathroom break, but during the commute home, i would get this urgent s.o.s. from my bladder....i wish i had that bladder today.:)

i always found myself rushing home at the end of the day to pee. i never had time from early morning through late afternoon of a busy workday to fit in a bathroom break, but during the commute home, i would get this urgent s.o.s. from my bladder....i wish i had that bladder today.:)